Chapter 6

Proofread by Cloud Chip Cake

During the break while waiting for the makeup photos, Ye Chen posted a WeChat Moment. The picture showed his hand making a victory gesture, accompanied by the cryptic words “Happiness, life fulfilled.”

He hadn’t exchanged WeChat contacts with Shen Mofeng yet, but he figured he would have to do it eventually. So, he quickly posted a Moment before adding him, to show that he genuinely felt happy acting with his idol, rather than hypocritically posting after adding him as a friend.

Prepared with an alibi in advance, the scheming fake fan breathed a sigh of relief.

As for Weibo, Ye Chen had politely followed a group of prominent figures in the industry, including Shen Mofeng. It wouldn’t raise suspicion, but he hadn’t posted anything related to Shen Mofeng on Weibo, and it wouldn’t be appropriate to randomly post now. If scrutinized, there might be a bit of a problem.

But surely it wouldn’t be scrutinized… Ye Chen hesitated. On one hand, he felt that a prestigious actor like Shen Mofeng wouldn’t scrutinize a fan’s social media platforms so obsessively to check their purity. On the other hand, he worried about the minuscule chance of exposure. After all, whoever got caught would be embarrassed. He had already put on this act, and if the truth came out one day, Shen Mofeng might get furious.

Ye Chen pondered whether to create a fake fan Weibo account for Shen Mofeng to pretend it was his secondary account, to cover all bases and eliminate even the slightest possibility of angering Shen Mofeng. But upon second thought, he realized he didn’t have the spare cash to buy an account…

For now, he would leave it as it is and adapt to the situation accordingly, Ye Chen decided.

…

The main tasks for the first morning were styling, taking makeup photos for the main characters, familiarizing oneself with the shooting location, positioning, rehearsing scenes, and interacting with other actors. The first scene was scheduled to start in the afternoon. After a chaotic morning, Ye Chen was starving. He hadn’t had a proper meal in the morning and had only nibbled on half a cucumber. Hearing that boxed lunches had arrived, he hurriedly urged Xiao Gao to fetch them.

As Xiao Gao turned to get the lunches, Ye Chen, in his prince attire, hurried a few steps behind him, his robe billowing like clouds. “Wait!”

“Huh?” Xiao Gao turned his head, as the exquisite face approached swiftly like a celestial being. Then, he heard Ye Chen whisper, “Get me two boxes.”

Xiao Gao was taken aback by this contrast. “…Okay.”

“Not two boxes,” finally able to have a decent meal, Ye Chen could hardly contain his excitement. He exclaimed fervently, “Let’s make it three boxes! Get three boxes!”

He could also bring some home to treat his little pets!

Xiao Gao: “…”

“Pick the ones with more meat,” Ye Chen urged earnestly. Then, he gracefully floated back to his seat like a celestial being, with an aloof and dignified demeanor, lowering his gaze to study the script.

Xiao Gao almost thought everything that happened a moment ago was an illusion.

Soon, the four boxed lunches were brought back, including one for Xiao Gao. Afraid that people would see Ye Chen devouring three boxes of lunch, Xiao Gao suggested, “Chen Ge, shall we eat in the car?”

Ye Chen picked up the script, stood up, and followed Xiao Gao to the nanny van. As they entered, they heard Shen Mofeng’s assistant, Xiao Liu, apologizing, “Sorry, Shen Ge, there was traffic. We just got them.”

Ye Chen’s predatory eyes locked onto the target through the window in an instant—Shen Mofeng’s two assistants, Xiao Liu and Xiao He, each carrying several upscale-looking food boxes, were heading into the adjacent RV.

Since most of the crew’s meals were boxed, some artists who couldn’t get used to boxed lunches would have their own special meals.

…Can Shen Ge finish all these boxes? He better not waste them. Wasting food is shameful! Especially shameful! Ye Chen anxiously placed the lunch boxes on the table, determined to prevent his Shen Ge from doing anything shameful!

“What’s wrong, Chen Ge?” Xiao Gao, picking at the sweet and sour cabbage, wondered why Ye Chen, who seemed so hungry a moment ago that he wanted to eat three boxes, suddenly seemed calm.

“I need to ask Teacher Shen something,” Ye Chen grabbed the script, happily skipped out of the car, and slid to Shen Mofeng’s car door. He stuck half of his head in and timidly asked Xiao He, who was closer to the door, “Is Shen Ge in the car?”

“Ye Chen?” Shen Mofeng lazily responded, “Come up.”

Ye Chen hopped into the car with a grin.

The RV was filled with enticing aromas of food, and neatly arranged food boxes covered the table. Ye Chen glanced around, then insincerely gestured towards the door, “Sorry, Shen Ge, didn’t mean to interrupt your meal. I’ll come back later.”

“No interruption,” Shen Mofeng replied absentmindedly, then casually invited, “Join me. Got too much food anyway.”

Shen Ge is so generous! Ye Chen happily sat down in front of Shen Mofeng, his face turning red with excitement as he spotted the eye-catching box of braised prawns. He lowered his gaze, hungry and eager, scanning the other dishes.

Shen Mofeng raised an eyebrow as he noticed the blushing fan staring at the prawns, too shy to meet his gaze. With a smile, he asked, “Need something from me?”

“Well, um…” Ye Chen swallowed nervously, flipping through the script pretentiously, “I wanted to ask you about a certain part of the scene this afternoon.”

Trying to resist the temptation of delicious food while feeling both hungry and greedy, Ye Chen’s acting skills plummeted instantly. His demeanor seemed unnatural, and his eager-to-learn expression was a bit too forced, ruining the act.

Shen Mofeng glanced at Ye Chen, almost breaking character.

He intended to continue the conversation but couldn’t resist teasing Ye Chen a bit. So, he casually remarked, “Just a few scenes, didn’t we go through all of them this morning? Still need to ask?”

Ye Chen choked.

Shen Mofeng continued leisurely, “Excuse?”

He could see through that? Ye Chen was stunned, his tongue tied, “N-No, not an excuse, I really wanted to ask…”

After a moment of silence, Shen Mofeng chuckled softly, “Just messing with you, you believed it?”

“Not really.” Ye Chen denied with a hint of relief, almost scared by the false alarm, his tense muscles visibly relaxing as he stared fixedly at the prawns.

Thought I’d miss my chance to eat them! Ye Chen thought, relieved. 

…Is he staring at the prawns? Shen Mofeng looked amused as he watched Ye Chen, “Eat first, we can talk later.”

So Ye Chen happily dug into the tender steamed ribs and smooth boiled chicken, sneaking glances at the prawns but not daring to eat them just yet.

Firstly, the action of peeling and serving the prawns was too conspicuous, and secondly, prawns are a relatively expensive ingredient. It’s not appropriate for the guest to eat them before the host.

After some contemplation, Ye Chen, struck by inspiration, offered, “Let me peel the prawns for you… I washed my hands before coming here.”

“Sure, go ahead,” Shen Mofeng replied pleasantly.

Ye Chen swiftly peeled one and placed it on Shen Mofeng’s plate, then another into his own plate, and a third into Shen Mofeng’s plate again… This repeated, and soon Ye Chen’s plate had four beautifully arranged braised prawns!

I’m such a genius! Ye Chen thought with glee as he ate the prawns, his mouth involuntarily turning upward, almost bursting into laughter!

Shen Mofeng paused with his chopsticks, partly puzzled and partly amused, as he observed Ye Chen. “What’s so funny, little friend?” he asked.

Ye Chen quickly managed his expression, “Oh, nothing…”

Shen Mofeng joked, “Are the prawns so delicious that you’re this happy?”

He nailed it! Ye Chen almost choked.

During prosperous times, Ye Chen wouldn’t mind such banter and might even join in the joke. However, poverty made him sensitive, so he vehemently denied, “No, no, I’m just too excited… To be sitting so close and peeling prawns for you, it’s something I never dared to dream of before…”

Shen Mofeng suppressed a smile and reassured him, “Just kidding, don’t be nervous.”

He wasn’t truly suspecting Ye Chen of trying to mooch prawns. Having grown up in affluence, surrounded by either rich or well-off people, he had never encountered someone so poor that they couldn’t take their eyes off a few prawns. Even his two life assistants, who earned a modest monthly salary of just twenty thousand, wouldn’t behave like this. Moreover, in the past year, Ye Chen had risen to fame rapidly – Shen Mofeng had coincidentally noticed Ye Chen’s progress and recognized the former fan who had chased after his car had made it into the entertainment industry. Therefore, he had been discreetly observing Ye Chen with a subtle curiosity.

Could a popular little fresh meat really be so impoverished as to rely on others for food?

Impossible. Ye Chen wasn’t working in a coal mine.

During lunch, Ye Chen continued to shower Shen Mofeng with praise, providing him with emotional massages and playing the role of an enthusiastic fan diligently. After satisfying their appetites, Ye Chen picked up the script and politely sought advice from Shen Mofeng on a few inconsequential details, and Shen Mofeng, in an unusually good mood, indulged him with some small talk. The atmosphere was insincere but harmonious.

Shen Ge is really generous, inviting me to two meals, Ye Chen thought, deeply moved. And both meals even had prawns. What kind of generosity is this?

When I restore the spiritual veins of the Mountain and Sea Realm in the future, I must carve out a ten-acre shrimp pond for Shen Ge inside… Ye Chen, whose mindset had completely turned into an agricultural channel, clenched his fists tightly, silently swearing.

The kindness of a drop of water should be repaid with a gushing spring, and the kindness of a shrimp should be repaid with a shrimp pond!

After the lunch break, the shooting officially began.

Shen Mofeng, portraying the Third Prince, was deeply scheming and strategic, yet he was the son of a concubine and often looked down upon. To conceal his ambitions and create trouble in secret, he always appeared gentle and kind in front of the other princes, earning the trust of the Fifth Prince. The scene being filmed was the Third Prince hearing strange noises outside the palace chambers, investigating, and discovering the Fifth Prince’s beloved cat being ensnared and dragged underground by several blood-red vines extending from the ground. In an instant, as the cat disappeared, the Fifth Prince panicked and rushed out to search for it.

This scene wasn’t particularly challenging. Shen Mofeng stood by the flower bushes, looking bewildered, about to investigate further, when Ye Chen emerged from behind a tree and blurted out, “Xiao Xuetuan!”

*Little Snowball

Shen Mofeng snapped out of his daze, withdrawing from the eerie scene, and reluctantly focused on Ye Chen’s face.

Ye Chen, panting heavily, met Shen Mofeng’s gaze with shining eyes and a submissive tone, “Third Brother, have you seen my cat?”

“Cut!” Chen Jing’an shouted. “Ye Chen’s performance is off!”

When a beloved cat goes missing, the owner would naturally be anxious, but Ye Chen’s demeanor… was like that of a lovesick teenager.

Ye Chen closed his eyes firmly, wearing an expression that confirmed this.

…The one-hour lunch break led to an overdose of fan behavior, and now he was too deep into the role!

Getting into character quickly but having trouble detaching afterward had always been Ye Chen’s fatal flaw.

“Director Chen,” Shen Mofeng couldn’t help but feel a wave of frustration, turning to Chen Jing’an. “Can I have a word with him?”

Chen Jing’an waved his hand impatiently. “Go ahead!”

Shen Mofeng asked Xiao He for his phone, then led Ye Chen to a less crowded area, admiring Ye Chen’s slightly distressed expression and jokingly asking, “What’s wrong? Seeing me makes you forget your lines?”

Ye Chen couldn’t say he was acting as a fake fan, but he could only cover his face in anguish and say, “I’m sorry, Shen Ge, give me a moment, just three minutes.”

“What should we do?” Shen Mofeng half-jokingly suggested, “How about I tell you about my flaws, so you won’t like me so much?”

Unexpectedly, Ye Chen hurriedly responded, “Okay, please do.”

Listening to Shen Mofeng self-disclose some embarrassing facts would indeed help him snap out of character.

After a few seconds of silence, Shen Mofeng lowered his head and played with his phone, shamelessly asking, “Do I seem like someone with flaws?”

Ye Chen: “…”

Well, that’s halfway out of character.

Suddenly, Shen Mofeng turned the screen he had been playing with towards Ye Chen.

On the screen was a hilarious expression of Shen Mofeng, caught in an unfortunate moment of looking dumbfounded, with the caption “The silly son of the landlord.”

Ye Chen burst into laughter.

Shen Mofeng calmly scrolled down the screen, revealing various funny expressions and intentionally distorted memes to create humor…

“Dumbfounded” “Perverted smile” “Even more perverted smile” “I’m so round” “I’m so square”…

Ye Chen laughed until his stomach hurt, completely snapping out of character at lightning speed!

The author has something to say:

Shen Mofeng: I’m even going all out to make him love me less.

Ye Qiongqiong (crazy screenshot collection): …

Ye Qiongqiong’s account book today:

Today’s earnings: Four big prawns + Five pieces of steamed ribs + One serving of rice + Six pieces of white-cut chicken + Various vegetables + Some fruit salad + Three servings of crew boxed meals

Ye Qiongqiong’s colorful rainbow farts:

Shen Ge, Shen Ge, your handsomeness is always in business, so do you have any spare handsome brand ribs, Shen Ge?

Shen Ge, I want to have your child, can we have some big braised prawns to bless our father and son’s peace, Shen Ge?

Shen Ge, my heart beats for you, can I have an extra chicken leg to make it beat stronger, Shen Ge?

Shen Ge, is your charm real, Shen Ge? I’m head over heels for you and I want to eat charcoal-grilled pork neck, Shen Ge.

Shen Ge, does that bottle of red wine look like tears shed for our love, Shen Ge?